The original castle was destroyed in 1945 by the atomic bomb blast. The present castle is a reconstruction of the original. Built in 1958, it is a five-storied timbered tower that houses exhibits tracing the history of Hiroshima, in particular, the Castle, its life and culture. The observatory platform on the 5th floor gives visitors a bird's eye view of the surroundings.
The park surrounding the castle seems to be a favorite with amateur painters and families. There are some relics that survived the atomic blast scattered around. We had a picnic lunch there before climbing up to the castle. We soon realised it was not a good idea. The minute we opened our bentos (rice box), we had a persistently picky pigeon that insisted on sharing our lunch. When my friend threw bits of leftovers in an attempt to appease it (since her shrieks did not scare it away), more pigeons joined in. Needless to say, we finished our lunch in record time.
Visit this castle only if you have not visited any of the other castles elsewhere or if you want to learn more of the history of Hiroshima. Otherwise, this castle is pretty unimpressive.
Admission for the castle is 320 yen (unless you produce the Seto Inland Sea welcome card) and opens from 9am - 5:30pm. It is closed from Dec 29th to January 2nd.
How to get there:
Take the tram or streetcar and get off at Kamiya-cho, after the Atomic bomb dome. From there, follow the street signs, it's about 15 minutes walk north from there.